Look Up

Today on The Epiphany of the Lord, I heard the usual Scripture story of the wise men finding Jesus in the manger by following His star. The priest’s homily led me to reflect on this story a little further. The magi were what I will call secular – they were not of a religious background. Yet through their science, research, and observation they recognized the signs that pointed to a new king. It seemed the king of the land didn’t know it. They had to tell him. And when they arrived, they didn’t find the Jewish people there worshiping the new king that was foretold to them by their prophets. They didn’t seem to know either. That got me thinking. Christians believe that Jesus Christ will come again. When He ascended, the angels said that He will come back the same way. Who will notice? Who will be paying attention? Will I? As I look around, at least half of the people are engrossed in their phones looking down. Throughout history, when people have encountered God, they were looking up. Thinking about this gave me further resolve to try to keep my eyes up, focusing on God.